californiahttp://www.maximumpc.com/taxonomy/term/1184/
enCalifornia Paves Way for Testing Self Driving Cars on Public Roads in Septemberhttp://www.maximumpc.com/california_paves_way_testing_self_driving_cars_public_roads_september_2014
<!--paging_filter--><h3><img src="/files/u69/autonomous_car.jpg" alt="Autonomous Car" title="Autonomous Car" width="228" height="152" style="float: right;" />The next time you're cut off in traffic, it might be the car, not the human driver that did it!</h3>
<p>The <strong>California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) this week approved a set of rules and regulations for testing autonomous vehicles</strong>, otherwise known as self-driving cars. There was a public hearing held back in January, after which the DMV delivered final testing regulations to the Office of Administrative Law for approval. Regulations were then written up this week and will become effective on September 16, 2014.</p>
<p>As you might expect, there's a <a href="https://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/autonomous/testing.htm" target="_blank">bit of a process involved</a> before a company can put a driver inside a self-driving car and have it barrel down public roads. There's a permit that needs to be filed for. The vehicle must be operated by an autonomous vehicle test driver who is an employee, contractor, or designee of the manufacturer conducting the test. In addition, the company must have $5 million in insurance, or otherwise show proof that it can pay up to that amount in damage claims.</p>
<p>There are requirements for the test driver as well. Most of the regulations are obvious entries -- the driver must be in immediate physical control or actively monitoring the vehicle's operation and capable of taking over if something goes awry. He or she must also remain in the driver's seat at all times. There's actually quite a bit of training involved.</p>
<p>"As automated systems get more complex, human understanding also gets more complex," Bryant Walker Smith, a fellow at the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford (CARS), <a href="http://arstechnica.com/cars-2/2014/05/california-approves-rules-for-testing-self-driving-cars-in-california/" target="_blank">told <em>ArsTechnica</em></a>. "For a vehicle to suddenly swerve to the right, a human would have to grab [the steering wheel]... training becomes even more important, and it would also be important for general users."</p>
<p>It's an interesting future we're embarking on. A recent article in <em>Popular Science</em> <a href="http://www.popsci.com/blog-network/zero-moment/mathematics-murder-should-robot-sacrifice-your-life-save-two" target="_blank">posed an interesting question</a>. Say a front tire blows out and your autonomous car swerves. After calculating the outcome, the self-driving car can either swerve left into oncoming traffic and kill multiple people, or swerve right over a cliff killing just you. Which should it do?</p>
<p>That's a question that will eventually need to be answered.</p>
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http://www.maximumpc.com/california_paves_way_testing_self_driving_cars_public_roads_september_2014#commentsautomobilesautonomouscaliforniaself driving carstechnologyvehiclesNewsWed, 21 May 2014 16:52:26 +0000Paul Lilly27850 at http://www.maximumpc.comCA Governor Fails to Sign Bill Requiring Warrants to Search Phoneshttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/ca_governor_fails_sign_bill_requiring_warrants_search_phones
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u94712/jerry-brown1.jpg" alt="jb" width="228" height="179" style="float: right;" />Civil liberties groups are up in arms today with the news that California Governor Jerry Brown has <a href="http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/10/warrantless-phone-searches/">vetoed</a> legislation that would have forced police to obtain a search warrant before searching the mobile phones of suspects upon their arrest. The veto means that for the time being, anyone arrested in California&nbsp;can be forced&nbsp;to submit to a search of their phone. These days, that essentially means handing over your entire life to officers.</p>
<p>Brown’s veto message says that due to the complicated issues involved, and the contradictory court decisions, he did not feel comfortable making a decision. Some have pointed to large campaign donations from police unions as the real reason. The state legislature was uncharacteristically together on the issue, having passed the bill by wide margins.</p>
<p>With large numbers of arrests not leading to convictions, one has to wonder what becomes of all that harvested data. Presumably it is supposed to be deleted, but things do fall through the cracks, and government laptops seem to go missing quite often.</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/ca_governor_fails_sign_bill_requiring_warrants_search_phones#commentscalifornialawlegalmobilesearchessmartphonesNewsMon, 10 Oct 2011 22:17:38 +0000Ryan Whitwam20765 at http://www.maximumpc.comAmazon and California Hug It Out, Sign One Year Sales Tax Dealhttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/amazon_and_california_hug_it_out_sign_one_year_sales_tax_deal
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u69/california_goodbye_x.jpg" width="228" height="118" style="float: right;" />Enemies yesterday, friends today. That about sums up the relationship between online eCommerce giant Amazon and the state of California, two sides that have been bickering over sales tax. According to a report in the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-fi-amazon-tax-20110908,0,3633127.story"><em>Los Angeles Times</em></a>, Amazon and California legislatures took off the boxing gloves long enough to shake hands and sign a deal where Amazon would be off the hook for sales tax for one more year.</p>
<p>In exchange for California agreeing to let Amazon postpone collecting online sales tax from state residents, the e-tailer is dropping its efforts to overturn a recently introduced law that would force Amazon and other out-of-state eCommerce players to collect and pay said taxes.</p>
<p>"It's a safe harbor for up to a year," said Assemblyman Charles Calderon (D-Whittier). "If they can't get Congress to act by next July, then they will start to collect the tax in September 2012. If by chance they get Congress to act, then that would trump the state law."</p>
<p>California Governor Jerry Brown declined to weigh in on the one-year deal, who as recently as last week refused to sign off on Amazon's offer to open a pair of distribution centers in California if it would be allowed to avoid collecting sales tax until 2014, LAT reports. At the time, Brown voiced concern "about anything that would reduce revenues going forward" due to the "uncertain economy."</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/amazon_and_california_hug_it_out_sign_one_year_sales_tax_deal#commentsamazonbusinesscaliforniaecommerceInternetlawlegalsales taxNewsThu, 08 Sep 2011 16:54:28 +0000Paul Lilly20213 at http://www.maximumpc.comCalifornia Requires Companies To Directly Inform Consumers About Data Breacheshttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/california_requires_companies_directly_inform_consumers_about_data_breaches
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u138055/data_breach.jpg" width="228" height="190" style="float: right;" />Rapid breathing, sweaty palms, and a tightening of the chest; those physical effects used to be associated with prom night or horror movies, but thanks to all the high-profile hacking antics hitting the headlines these days, you might experience the same jitters whenever a website asks you for some personal information. Even worse, companies don’t always own up to when they’ve been pwned and put your data in danger. It’s getting better, though. California just passed a law that requires companies that have been OMG h@x3d to directly inform their customers of the breach.</p>
<p>California’s actually required companies to inform consumers about breaches since 2002, <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/enterprise/2011/09/california-consumers-must-be-n.php?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+readwriteweb+%28ReadWriteWeb%29">ReadWriteWeb reports</a>, but some of those wily corporations snuck around the mandate by simply placing a notice up on their website when they fell victim to a hack attack. If you didn’t check out the website, you didn’t learn about the breach, simple as that. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.infolawgroup.com/uploads/file/sb_24_bill_20110831_chaptered%281%29.pdf">The new law</a> forces hacked service providers to directly inform potential victims whenever a database is breached. A single website bulletin won’t cut it anymore. In addition, the notification must contain a telephone number and contact person in case potential victims want to follow up with further questioning. Email’s fine too, but a telephone number is mandatory.</p>
<p>"No one likes to get the news that personal information about them has been stolen,” Joe Simitian, the&nbsp; State Senator that authored the bill, said in a statement. “But when it happens, people deserve to get the information they need to decide what to do next."</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/california_requires_companies_directly_inform_consumers_about_data_breaches#commentscaliforniaconsumerdata breachhackinformationlawlegalNewsTue, 06 Sep 2011 17:12:24 +0000Brad Chacos20164 at http://www.maximumpc.comESA Rubs Salt in the Wound, Wants CA to Pay $1.1 Million in Legal Fees for Failed Videogame Lawhttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/esa_rubs_salt_wound_wants_ca_pay_11_million_legal_fees_failed_videogame_law
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u69/wario_money.jpg" width="228" height="204" style="float: right;" />According to the Supreme Court, videogames qualify for First Amendment protection, and California's attempt to enact a law restricting the sale of violent videogames to minors was ruled unconstitutional. The 7-2 decision came in the case of Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, and to rub salt in the wound, the ESA is now seeking $1.1 million in attorney's fees from the state of California, <a href="http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/07/esa-seeks-11-million-in-legal-fees-from-fighting-ca-videogame-law.ars">Arstechnica reports</a>.</p>
<p>"We look forward to moving forward and working together to raise awareness about the valuable tools and information available to parents," said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, the trade association representing US computer and video game publishers. "From the start of this misguided legislation, then-Governor Schwarzenegger and specific California legislators knew that their efforts to censor and restrict expression were, as court after court ruled, unconstitutional and thus a waste of taxpayers’ money, government time, and state resources."</p>
<p>This is a legal course the ESA has navigated before. Louisiana, Michigan, and Illinois have all been on the hook for legal reimbursement after failing to pass laws restricting the sale of videogames, though this would be the most the ESA has ever collected from a single state if it gets the full $1.1 million. The ESA has been <a href="http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2007/04/esa-awarded-attorneys-fees-in-fight-against-louisiana-video-game-law.ars">awarded over $1.71 million combined</a> in attorney's fees so far.</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/esa_rubs_salt_wound_wants_ca_pay_11_million_legal_fees_failed_videogame_law#commentscaliforniacourtgameslawlegalSoftwarevideogameNewsTue, 26 Jul 2011 13:05:21 +0000Paul Lilly19617 at http://www.maximumpc.comAngry Amazon Pleads with California Voters to Repeal Tax Lawhttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/angry_amazon_pleads_california_voters_repeal_tax_law
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u69/amazon_boxes.jpg" width="228" height="198" style="float: right;" />Every time a state draws up a new bill to force Amazon's hand at ponying up sales tax for products sold and shipped to its residents, the online retailer responds by killing off its associate program in that state and ending any business deals. It's akin to Amazon taking it's ball and going home, or at least going elsewhere, the only problem with that approach is Amazon is running out of places to, well, run. California is the most <a href="http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/amazon_pulling_plug_california_associates_program_blames_taxes">recent casualty</a> to Amazon's associates program, but the e-tailer is also trying a different tactic this go-round.</p>
<p>Amazon is preparing to ask California voters to repeal the new state law requiring websites to forward information for the purposes of collecting sales tax. According to <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/12/us-economy-california-amazon-idUSTRE76B06X20110712">Reuters</a>, California's attorney general's office received a petition for the initiative. The petition would require almost 434,000 signatures from registered voters by late September in order to qualify for a ballot on February 7, 2012.</p>
<p>"This is a referendum on jobs and investment in California," Paul Misener, vice president of public policy at Amazon, said in a statement. "At a time when businesses are leaving California, it is important to enact policies that attract and encourage business, not drive it away. Amazon looks forward to working again with tens of thousands of small business affiliates in California that were harmed by the new law’s effect on hundreds of out-of-state retailers."</p>
<p>California's new law calls Amazon's affiliate marketers a "nexus," and by extension considers Amazon as having a physical in-state selling presence, making the e-tailer responsible for sales tax. Amazon, like Overstock and a handful of other e-tailers, responded by ending its affiliate program in California, and Amazon alone had over 10,000 affiliate marketers doing business in California. Those are the jobs Amazon is referring to. Nevertheless, California lawmakers insist this isn't an issue about jobs, but one of leveling the playing field between online and brick-and-mortar stores.</p>
<p>"It is in every Californian’s interest for online and store front businesses to play by the same rules," Betty Yee, first district member of the California Board of Equalization, said in a statement, according to Seattle's <a href="http://www.techflash.com/seattle/2011/07/amazon-willing-to-fight-at-ballot-box.html">TechFlash</a>. "I strongly doubt Californians will support a loophole promoting out-of-state jobs, when holding Amazon.com accountable to the same rules as everyone else protects California’s economy."</p>
<p>Thoughts on the petition?</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/angry_amazon_pleads_california_voters_repeal_tax_law#commentsamazoncaliforniaecommerceonline shoppingtaxNewsWed, 13 Jul 2011 13:12:47 +0000Paul Lilly19433 at http://www.maximumpc.comCalifornia Passes Online Sales Tax Bill, Amazon Not Pleasedhttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/california_passes_online_sales_tax_bill_amazon_not_pleased
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u94712/cash.jpg" alt="cash" width="228" height="171" style="float: right;" />Remember <a href="http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/amazon_pulling_plug_california_associates_program_blames_taxes">yesterday </a>when we told you of the horrible dystopian future California faced as they considered forcing online retailers to collect state sales tax? Well, they’re going ahead with it, causing an outcry from Internet retail giants including Amazon and Overstock. The change goes into effect <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-amazon-tax-20110630,0,4344787.story">Friday</a>.</p>
<p>In conjunction with the move, the state’s tax rate is going down 1-point to 7.75%. The California law takes advantage of the affiliate programs that many sites run where people can get commissions by referring buyers to a site. The law in California now considers those people employees of a sort. In response, Amazon and Overstock have cancelled their affiliate programs in the state.&nbsp;</p>
<p>By not collecting sales tax up front, online retailers have had quite a price advantage over brick and mortar stores. It looks like that era may be coming to an end, but Amazon isn’t going down without a fight. They’ll probably pull the affiliate program out of any state they have to.&nbsp;</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/california_passes_online_sales_tax_bill_amazon_not_pleased#commentsamazoncalifornialawlegalretailtaxesNewsThu, 30 Jun 2011 21:45:00 +0000Ryan Whitwam19262 at http://www.maximumpc.comAmazon Pulling Plug on California Associates Program, Blames Taxeshttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/amazon_pulling_plug_california_associates_program_blames_taxes
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u94712/19_amazon-logo.jpg" alt="az" width="228" height="228" style="float: right;" />It’s getting to be a highly predictable pattern. A state starts working on a bill that would force Amazon to pay sales tax up front on its sales in said state. Amazon then starts playing hardball by cancelling business deals and ending associate programs, and that’s what’s happening in <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2011/06/29/amazon-kills-associa.html">California </a>today.&nbsp;</p>
<p>A new bill in the California legislature would force Amazon to pony up sales tax to the state, and Bezos is not pleased. In an email sent out to members of the Amazon Associates Program, the retailer says the program will be terminated in California effective the day this law goes into effect, if it does. The Associates Program is a way for people to make money for linking to products that users end up buying.</p>
<p>This arrangement makes the point of sale more murky, and has become a target for local governments hungry for fresh sources of income. Traditionally, companies only had to pay sales tax when they had a physical presence in a state. it seems this issue isn’t going away, and California is a mighty big arena to take the tax fight to. Do you think Amazon should be paying sales tax?&nbsp;</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/amazon_pulling_plug_california_associates_program_blames_taxes#commentsamazonbusinesscaliforniaretailsales taxtaxesNewsWed, 29 Jun 2011 21:39:25 +0000Ryan Whitwam19245 at http://www.maximumpc.comSupreme Court Blasts California's Violent Videogame Banhttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/supreme_court_blasts_californias_violent_videogame_ban
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u69/shotgun_blast.jpg" width="228" height="183" style="float: right;" />Gamers and free speech advocates alike scored a major victory today as the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a controversial California law that restricts the sale or rental of violent videogames to minors. Following a majority vote, the Supreme Court ruled that the law violates the First Amendment, noting that California sought to "create a wholly new category of content-based regulation that is permissible only for speech directed at children. That is unprecedented and mistaken."</p>
<p>In October 2005, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was governor of California at the time, signed into a law a bill that would punish anyone who sells or rents a violent videogame to a minor with a $1,000 fine. Games classified as violent were any in which the player has the option of "killing, maiming, dismembering, or sexually assaulting an image of a human being."</p>
<p>"Even where the protection of children is the object, the constitutional limits on governmental action apply," Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in the ruling. "California's legislation straddles the fence between addressing a serious social problem and helping concerned parents control their children. Both ends are legitimate, but when they affect First Amendment rights they must be pursued by means that are neither seriously underinclusive nor seriously overinclusive."</p>
<p>As you might expect, the Entertainment Software Association was tickled pink by the ruling, stating that "the Supreme Court affirmed what we have always known -- that free speech protections apply every bit as much to videogames as they do to other forms of creative expression like books, movies and music."</p>
<p>California State Sen. Leland Yee wasn't nearly as thrilled, <a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2387676,00.asp">saying</a> that today's ruling "put the interests of corporate America before the interests of our children," and as a result, "Walmart and the videogame industry will continue to make billions of dollars at the expense of our kids' mental health and the safety of our community."</p>
<p>You can read the ruling <a href="http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/10pdf/08-1448.pdf">here (PDF)</a>.</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/supreme_court_blasts_californias_violent_videogame_ban#commentscalifornialawlegalSoftwaresupreme courtvideogameviolent gamesNewsMon, 27 Jun 2011 17:29:15 +0000Paul Lilly19211 at http://www.maximumpc.comComputer Error Gives 450 California Inmates 'Get Out of Jail Free' Cardhttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/computer_error_gives_450_california_inmates_get_out_jail_free_card
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u69/getoutofjailfree.jpg" width="228" height="123" style="float: right;" />Those yellow and orange 'Get Out of Jail Free' cards from Monopoly don't actually exist in real life, but for more than 450 inmates at a California prison with "a high risk of violence," they didn't need one. A computer error allowed them to walk free on "non-revocable parole," meaning they're not required to check in with parole officers and will only be put back behind bars if they're caught committing a crime.</p>
<p>Word of the snafu comes two days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that California's prisons are too overcrowded and upheld an earlier order that state officials would have to figure out a way to reduce the population of inmates from 143,335 to around 33,000, the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-prisons-20110526,0,6293602.story">L.A. Times reports</a>.</p>
<p>Here's how it works, and where things went wrong. The law that created non-revocable parole excludes inmates that are gang members, have committed sex crimes or violent felonies, or have been determined to pose a high risk to commit another crime based on their records behind bars. You know, the types you wouldn't want to run into on a lighted street, nevermind a back alley.&nbsp; However, the computer program prison officials used to make that assessment has no way of accessing an inmate's disciplinary history. It instead relies on a state Department of Justice system that records arrests but not conviction information for about half of the state's 16.4 million arrest records.</p>
<p>In a review of 200 case files out of 10,134 former inmates given non-revocable parole in July of last year, it was found that 31 were not eligible, and nine were determined likely to commit violent crimes. That's a 15 percent error rate for that sample, which translates to more than 450 violent inmates being released during the first seven months of the program.</p>
<p>Image Credit: Hasbro</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/computer_error_gives_450_california_inmates_get_out_jail_free_card#commentscaliforniacomputer errorfailprisonNewsFri, 27 May 2011 17:50:30 +0000Paul Lilly18756 at http://www.maximumpc.comCalifornia Butts Head with Facebook Over Privacy Debatehttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/california_butts_head_facebook_over_privacy_debate
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u69/california_facebook.jpg" width="228" height="186" style="float: right;" />California is trying to push through legislation that would require social networks to make changes to their privacy policies, and Facebook wants nothing to do with it. Called the Social Networking Privacy Act (SB 242), this new bill would require Facebook and other social networking sites mae users set up their privacy settings as part of the registration process rather than after they become members. So what has Facebook all in a tizzy?</p>
<p>The bill would also require social networking sites to set users' default settings to private, as well as give parents of children under the age of 18 the ability to remove their child's personally identifiable information. None of this sounds too bad, but Facebook's concern is that this would open the door to government control and even more privacy rules, ComputerWorld <a href="California Butts Head with Facebook Over Privacy Debate">reports</a>.</p>
<p>Facebook has had several meetings with California Senate Majority Leader Ellen Corbett, who introduced the bill.</p>
<p>"In each of these interactions, we have raised serious concerns about SB 242 directly to Sen. Corbett," said Andrew Noyes, a spokesman for Facebook. "We've also met face-to-face with the bill's author and every other member of the Senate Judiciary Committee to express our concerns. We will continue to make the case on our own and with other groups... because we and many other online safety experts and industry groups believe SB 242 in its current form is a serious threat both to Facebook's business in California and to meaningful California consumers' choices about use of personal data."</p>
<p>Some analysts disagree with Facebook's claims that such a bill would harm Facebook's business. Dan Olds, an analysts with The Gabriel Consulting Group, believes Facebook is more concerned with the precedent SB 242 would set, saying "In Facebook's view, it's the first slip down a slippery slope." But as far as dollars and cents are concerned, he says "it's not going to cost them or their users much money."</p>
<p>What's your take on such a bill? Should states be able to mandate how social networking sites handle privacy?</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/california_butts_head_facebook_over_privacy_debate#commentscaliforniafacebookInternetonlinePrivacySocial NetworkingNewsTue, 17 May 2011 16:49:39 +0000Paul Lilly18594 at http://www.maximumpc.comCalifornia Congressman Wants Games to Carry a Warning Labelhttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/california_congressman_wants_games_carry_warning_label
<!--paging_filter--><p>Here we go again. For the umpteenth time, a politician is attaching himself to the controversial subject of videogames causing real-life violence. This time it's Caliornia congressman Joe Baca (D-Rialto, CA) who wants to pass a bill that would slap a health warning label to "all videogames with an Electronics Software Ratings Board rating of Teen or higher," GamePolitics.com <a href="http://gamepolitics.com/2011/01/25/congressman-joe-baca-pushes-warning-labels-games">reports</a>. Here's what the label would say:</p>
<p>"WARNING: Excessive exposure to violent videogames and other violent media has been linked to aggressive behavior."</p>
<p>Baca elaborated his stance saying, "The videogame industry has a responsibility to parents, families, and to consumers -- to inform them of the potentially damaging content that is often found in their products. They have repeatedly failed to live up to this responsibility. Meanwhile research continues to show a proven link between playing violent games and increased aggression in young people. American families deserve to know the truth about these potentially dangerous products."</p>
<p>The bill has the backing of Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), who likened the warning label those to those found on cigarette boxes.</p>
<p>"Just as we warn smokers of the health consequences of tobacco, we should warn parents -- and children -- about the growing scientific evidence demonstrating a relationship between violent videogames and violent behavior," Wolf said. "As a parent and grandparent, I think it is important people know everything they can about the extremely violent nature of some of these games."</p>
<p>This isn't a new topic by any means, nor is it cut and dry. In fact, one <a href="http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/crazy_researchers_de-link_aggression_videogames">recent study</a> by Dr. Christopher Ferguson and his research team from Texas A&amp;M International University concluded that exposure to violence in videogames and television isn't able to predict aggressive behavior, but depressive symptoms can.</p>
<p>Cast your vote in the comments section below. Should games carry warning labels?</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="/files/u69/games_violence_warning.jpg" width="400" height="286" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Image Credit: zazzle.com</p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/california_congressman_wants_games_carry_warning_label#commentscaliforniagameslawlegalSoftwareVideogamesNewsThu, 27 Jan 2011 16:38:36 +0000Paul Lilly16877 at http://www.maximumpc.comCalifornia Governor Issues "Massive" Cell Phone Cutbackhttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/california_governor_issues_massive_cell_phone_cutback
<!--paging_filter--><p>Jerry Brown, California's newly elected governor, issued a "massive cell phone cutback for state employees" in which 48,000 government paid cell phones are to be collected and turned in.</p>
<p>"It is difficult for me to believe that 40 percent of all state employees must be equipped with taxpayer-funded cell phones," <a href="http://www.gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=16875">the Governor said</a>. "Some state employees, including department and agency executives who are required to be in touch 24 hours a day and seven days a week, may need cell phones, but the current number of phones out there is astounding."</p>
<p>Brown's goal is to cut the number of cell phones in half by June 1, though he wants to be careful and avoid early termination penalties that might offset the monthly savings.</p>
<p>"Because of contract obligations, it is possible that we may not be able to eliminate all 48,000 cell phones by June 1, but it is also conceivable that we can do it earlier -- and this is my hope," Brown said.</p>
<p>Brown estimates that the cell phone cutback will save at least $20 million a year.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="/files/u69/jerry_brown.jpg" width="400" height="315" /></p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/california_governor_issues_massive_cell_phone_cutback#commentscaliforniacell phoneHardwarejerry brownmobileNewsWed, 12 Jan 2011 16:50:52 +0000Paul Lilly16614 at http://www.maximumpc.comCalifornia Police Don't Need a Warrant to Search Through Your Cell Phonehttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/california_police_dont_need_warrant_search_through_your_cell_phone
<!--paging_filter--><p>California's highest court leaned on old U.S. Supreme Court cases to rule that police can confiscate a cell phone from a suspect right after he's arrested and sift through text messages looking for evidence, and do so without first obtaining a warrant, the Ventura County Star <a href="http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jan/04/states-high-court-rules-police-can-conduct-cell/">reports</a>.</p>
<p>The ruling came as part of a Fourth Amendment decision involving the 2007 arrest of a Thousand Oaks man who wound up arrested after buying ecstasy from a police informant. Text messages on the suspect's cell phone implicated him of the crime.</p>
<p>Jay Leiderman, the criminal lawyer who represented the suspect, described the decision as "weak" and "scary" because it cited older U.S. Supreme Court cases that don't have anything to do with today's technology.</p>
<p>"This type of thing opens up the doors for Big Brother to come flying in," he said.</p>
<p>The decision relied on a pair of cases from the early 1970s, one which involved the search of a suspect's clothing and another involving the search of small physical containers, like a crumpled cigarette package.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="/files/u69/police_cell_phone.jpg" width="405" height="269" /></p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/california_police_dont_need_warrant_search_through_your_cell_phone#commentscaliforniacell phonecourtlawlegalmobilePrivacysmartphonestext messagesNewsWed, 05 Jan 2011 14:28:43 +0000Paul Lilly16422 at http://www.maximumpc.comCalifornia Considers Turning License Plates into Digital Billboardshttp://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/california_considers_turning_license_plates_digital_billboards
<!--paging_filter--><p>GMAC earlier this year <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/states-worst-best-drivers-test/story?id=10790148">surveyed</a> about 5,000 motorists across the country with 20 test questions taken from various state driving tests, and for the second year in a row, California boasted more bad drivers than 47 other states. If we're to take this survey as accurate, then it's fair to say that California motorists have enough to worry about as it is, so why throw more distractions into the mix?</p>
<p>The answer is simple: money. Facing a $19 billion deficit, the California Legislature is kicking around a bill that would allow the state to begin researching what all would be involved with using electronic license plates for vehicles. The way it would work is when a vehicle is stopped for more than four seconds, the license plate would show digital ads or emergency messages, like Amber Alerts.</p>
<p>&quot;We're just trying to find creative ways of generating additional revenues,&quot; said Curren Price, who authored the bill. &quot;It's an exciting marriage of technology with need, and an opportunity to keep California in the forefront.&quot;</p>
<p>A company called Smart Plate has already begun developing the new plates, though is holding off on the production stage while the bill is debated. Smart Plate's chief executive M. Conrad Jordan insists that &quot;the idea is not to turn a motorist's vehicle into a mobile billboard, but rather create a platform for motorists to show their support for existing good working organizations.&quot; </p>
<p>What's your take on ad-toting license plates? </p>
<p align="center"><img src="/files/u69/License_Plate_Swoosh.jpg" width="405" height="229" /></p>
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/california_considers_turning_license_plates_digital_billboards#commentsadsadvertisingcaliforniaNewsMon, 21 Jun 2010 13:52:48 +0000Paul Lilly13046 at http://www.maximumpc.com